Washed Ashore
by bathbubbles
Summary: Mermaid Akane ends up on the shore of the most powerful kingdom in the world, and the timing could not be more right. The Inazuma Kingdom is searching for the perfect wife for Prince Shindou. With friendships, rivalries, love triangles, and drama, will Akane succumb to the waters or fight for love? Akane x Shindou
1. Chapter 1: Shore

A/N: Hello! This is my first Inazuma Eleven GO Chrono Stone fanfiction. Please enjoy!

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Washed Ashore:

Chapter One – Shore

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" _Shark,_ " Akane whispered, feeling fear bubbling in her chest. She was hoping that the object she had run into wasn't a shark, but unfortunately, her worst fears were confirmed.

Akane immediately froze, hoping that it hadn't noticed her movements.

The big black shark hovering in front of her was much larger than she was. The shark began to grin menacingly when Akane met its beady black eyes, showing multiple rows of shiny, scary, razor-sharp teeth all at once.

She barely had enough time to react when the monstrous black shark began to swim closer, its horrendous mouth beginning to open wide, ready to swallow her.

Akane could feel the blood draining from her face as she feverishly swam in the opposite direction. Although she didn't dare turn around for a second, she knew that the shark, in fact, had smelled her mermaid scent and was now pursuing her scent trail. She knew that it could smell her fear, too.

She couldn't see much in front of her. Akane gulped. Without the sun's guidance, murky and dark waters surrounded her. She felt small and sick to her stomach, but she mustered what bravery she had and kept on swimming furiously.

But it was no use. The black shark was quickly gaining up on her, and Akane noticed that at the rate she was swimming at, she would not be able to outswim the shark. Plus, her dress was becoming heavy and it was preventing her from swimming from her usual speed. She was growing exhausted from the weight of the fabric and from such rapid swimming, so she knew she had to find a hiding spot. Fast.

Thankfully, in the nick of time, she spotted a small dark hole on the side of an approaching shoreline. She immediately recognized the small entrance, and realized she could fit her slim body through the hole.

 _An underwater cave!_

Akane dived into the cave's entrance with what energy she had left to propel herself. The monster loomed close behind.

The cave's entrance was a tight fit. Akane felt sharp stones dig into her tail as she struggled to get her lower body and her red dress through. She gritted her teeth, trying hard not to scream from the friction she felt, afraid that the shark would hear her struggling. She felt desperate.

 _God, please don't let me die like this!_

She struggled faster, and ended up forcefully yanking herself through. She had escaped in time!

 _I'm free now! Thank you, God…_ she thought.

Akane felt herself growing weaker, and now that she had escaped from the shark, she relaxed her body and her vision darkened…

… … …

Akane awoke to the strange sound of seagulls. Their loud cawing noises echoed in the sky, waking her from her unconsciousness.

She opened her eyes and felt the familiar wind on her exposed body.

She found herself lying down, and she slowly lifted herself up. Akane couldn't believe her eyes. The water around her was gone, and instead, she was lying on a vast area of clean white sand.

How long had it been since she had fainted in the water? How did she get from being in an underwater cave onto the shore like this?

She couldn't find a logical answer, so she gave up thinking.

 _So this must be what land feels like…_ Akane thought as she touched the sand covering the rock. She decided to sit up against a nearby rock. Her now tattered dress was now dry and wrinkled, crackling as she wearily edged closer to the rock she wanted to sit against.

She proceeded to push her tail against the rocks for support when she noticed that her lower body felt incredibly strange. She looked down and realized in horror that her tail had disappeared!

 _My tail! Where did it go?_

Her tail was now replaced with two long flesh-colored sticks. It was almost as if her tail had been divided perfectly in half.

She ran her hands over them cautiously, noticing that the skin from her arms matched the skin on the sticks. There were bloody gashes all over.

Worried, Akane carefully touched them, but winced when she did. They were raw and painful, and she hoped that they would heal quickly like her tail usually did.

She inspected the two long sticks closer and gasped in realization.

 _I have humans' legs…!_

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 **Author's Note:** Hello everyone! Just to let you know, Shindou will arrive in the second chapter! The plot will kick off in the next chapter.

I own nothing. Thank you for reading! I hope we can interact more as the story progresses!


	2. Chapter 2: The Announcement

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Washed Ashore:

Chapter Two – The Announcement

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(Shindou's POV)

A youthful prince walked slowly along the sandy shoreline. His eyebrows were furrowed, deep in thought with hands clasped behind his back.

To a normal citizen of the land, Prince Shindou Takuto would have looked quite majestic with his fine clothes and long silk cape rustling in the gentle ocean wind.

But little would they have known that this prince was holding the weight of the world on his shoulders at the moment. Yes, this prince was contemplating about the king's announcement that would change his life in a matter of months, and to a great extent too.

… …

It was at breakfast time when the king made the sudden announcement.

"Son, your mother and I have decided that it is the proper time for you to wed. You are coming of age, and I am only growing more white hairs each day..." The king cautiously began from his seat at the dining hall.

Shindou took a sip of his tea and set down his teacup down calmly. He had, in the back of his mind, known that his father was going to bring up the topic of marriage one day, but he hadn't expected for that day to be today.

At this moment, he didn't feel ready at all to be married just yet. He didn't fancy any of the princesses or noble girls he'd always grown up around. Honestly, there were better things for his father to focus on, like discussing plans with his advisors about the health of the kingdom's economy, which had been deteriorating at a dangerous rate.

Not only did this problem need immediate attention, but his father also hadn't made any efforts to take action on fixing the weaker economy. Around this time, the kingdom's fishing industry was getting weaker due to dwindling populations. Shindou had been thinking of ways to fix the unemployment rates of the local fishermen whilst regenerating the population of one of their most valuable exports. In fact, all three problems could be fixed by hiring more of the lower class fishermen to plant nutrient-rich seaweed and sea kelp. In the long term, this would boost the economy, too, and a surplus of money could definitely help other issues of the kingdom.

But what did his father do instead? The king, led by his emotions while drafting the plans for his son's marriage, decided to spend nearly one-third of the kingdom's annual wealth on the future marriage!

Shindou gripped his napkin under the table in anger. If only his father could see the bigger picture! Spending huge amounts of the kingdom's wealth on the quest to find Shindou's future wife would do nothing to help the economy or the poor local fishermen and their families. It just wasn't appropriate at this time, and the high costs invested into the marriage could weaken the status of their title as the most prestigious kingdom in the land.

"Plans for your marriage are near completion. A wife from a neighboring or rival kingdom could grow the power of our kingdom while protecting us from potential attacks. Your mother and I have invested so much into this quest for your perfect wife. What do you say, son? If you haven't started thinking about a wife, start thinking about the standards in your mate that could benefit the kingdom."

Nonetheless, he knew he had to obey his father's wishes. He met his father's awaiting gaze and forced a thin line of a smile, all while resisting the urge to facepalm at his father's ignorance of the state of the kingdom. "Yes, father. I haven't started thinking about marriage the way you have, but I will start finding a suitable wife now."

"Good, very good!" The king smiled excitedly, pleased that his son was open to the idea of marriage. His son didn't smile back, but the king decided to continue. "I've already launched an announcement to our neighboring kingdoms, asking for the finest young princesses from the other kingdoms around the world. They will come and visit our kingdom over the next six months. You will find a suitable wife from the selection I have chosen, will you not?"

Shindou finished his breakfast and bowed respectfully in response to his father, his brown hair covering his lowered face.

"I will do as you ask, Father." He gritted his teeth, knowing that his father would make sure to select his potential wives from only the wealthiest and most powerful kingdoms around.

The king smiled once again and dismissed him with a flick of his hand. Shindou bowed once more, turned around, and exited the dining hall without a word.

… …

"Your Highness, are you feeling alright? Is something the matter?" a worried voice said beside him.

Shindou turned to his right to see the owner of the worried voice. He looked to find Kirino Ranmaru, his best friend. Not only was Kirino a loyal friend, but he was also one of the most high-ranking and faithful knights among his kingdom. Today Kirino was accompanying him along his morning walk as usual.

Shindou met Kirino's bright teal eyes, which were full of worry.

"Nothing's the matter." He frowned. "Kirino, don't address me with such a silly title. In fact, I'd prefer if you didn't, at least when we're alone together. It makes me nervous. You know how you're my best friend over anything else."

Kirino nodded and eased up, now that the two were out of public eye. "I overheard from the maids about an arranged marriage." Kirino winked and nudged the prince's arm playfully.

At this, Shindou began to chuckle, but his smile faltered and he sighed. He moved his gaze back down at the fine, white sand he was walking on. "I understand that my father wants to marry me off, but I don't want to get married just yet."

Shindou could feel his anger growing, and he proceeded to rant about this 'unfair' and 'pointless' marriage, expressing his inner thoughts that he wouldn't dare say in front of his father and mother.

As he listened, Kirino shook his head, his pink pigtails following his head movements. "Your father wouldn't be pleased by this at all if he heard what you were saying." he mumbled.

The prince just nodded, and after a couple of steps along the shoreline, Kirino spoke again.

"Shindou… what if you actually did fall in love with one of the princesses your father brings? What if it comes down to this… Would you marry for the kingdom, or would you marry for true love?"

Shindou snorted and looked up at the bright sky as he saw the seagulls fly over the castle. "That's a possibility, but the chances of me marrying for true love are slim. And I have absolutely no interest in getting married."

He continued softly. "I've always wanted to compose music and perform it. I would be content doing that for the rest of my life. I can rule my father's kingdom as an unmarried, music-loving monarch, just fine."

Shindou was about to talk about his latest composition when he suddenly heard Kirino clear his throat politely. "Um… Your Highness, there is someone approaching us." Kirino said.

Shindou looked up and realized his friend was right. Directly in their sandy path was a human figure crouched over, and they could see that it was heaving with labored breaths.

Shindou felt his senses heighten and adrenaline began running through his veins. "The individual appears to be in trouble. Let us go to him." Shindou ordered. Before Kirino could object with a warning, Shindou quickened his pace and Kirino had no choice but to follow the prince with his sword prepared.

Upon a closer look, Shindou was surprised to find that the hunched figure was a young lady, and not a man as he had thought. The maiden in front of him was wearing remnants of a bright crimson dress, and she possessed wavy light brown hair that fell upon her shoulders messily. Her head was downcast and she was respiring heavily as if she had recently been chased.

"Are you alright, young maiden? I command you to speak."

The girl looked up wearily. Her eyes slowly met his own. Shindou noted that they were a brilliant shade of amethyst and he could see pain in her eyes. He waited for her to speak, but she did not open her mouth.

He scanned his eyes over her lower body, where he found long open wounds shaped like whiplashes covering the surface of her legs.

Shindou's eyes widened. He could tell that it wouldn't be long before she would lose consciousness from the loss of blood.

"Kirino," Shindou said in a serious tone. Although he would have questioned the maiden first, he could tell that it wouldn't be appropriate at the moment as the maiden was seriously injured.

There was something about the girl that made his heart catch in his throat. He didn't really know what it was, but he felt that it was his duty to save her life.

Kirino stood straight, knowing that when his name was called in such a tone, it meant back to knightly duty. "Yes, Your Highness?"

"We will need to take her inside the castle. The maiden will lose consciousness if we do not act quickly," Shindou ordered.

The knight nodded quickly. "Would you like me to alert the guards?"

Shindou shook his head, prompting Kirino to stay with the injured maiden. "The news of me bringing home a girl unattended will stir up rumors in the kingdom and in the neighboring kingdoms. We've got to move under the radar, so I will go. Stay here while I inform the maids and servants."

Kirino saluted as Shindou ran back to the castle as fast as he could.

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 **Author's Note:** Thankfully, Akane is about to get medical attention! And we finally have Shindou, and not to mention, his trusty knight Kirino has arrived into our story as well!

Thanks again for reading! I would be much encouraged from your reviews, dear readers!


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